Ostomists
Dietary
Advice
www.fittleworth.com
DTRY315-1
Opening Hours:
8 am to 8 pm Monday to Friday
9 am to 1 pm Saturday
National: 0800 378 846
Scotland: 0800 783 7148
Dietary Advice for Ostomists
Giving dietary advice is always difficult. What you can and cannot eat is very
individual and foods that disagree with one person seem to have no effect on
others. This leaflet has been designed to give some helpful hints and tips.
Giving dietary advice
Good eating habits
The normal recommended ‘healthy
diet’ is high fibre, low salt and low fat.
However, for people who have had an
ostomy, this may not be the ideal diet
for their condition.
A disciplined approach to a diet can
help make you more regular in both
timings and in stool consistency.
Our first piece of advice is always ask
your stoma care nurse what is best for
you, they can explain why you should
avoid some foods and eat more of
others.
•
•
•
•
A good guide is:
Don’t overeat
Eat at least 3 meals a day
Eat at regular times
Identify foods that have a laxative
or constipative effect on you and
try to balance the intake
The second piece of general advice is to • Some foods will give you wind.
let your stoma settle and then to just
Work out which ones these are and
try small portions of each food and see
then eat them in moderation
what effect they have.
• Keep a food diary
• Chew food well
Vitamins
Dehydration
Vitamins are found in fruit, fruit juices
and fresh vegetables. Extra vitamins
are not really necessary if you have a
healthy varied diet. Cranberry juice is
useful for urostomists as it can help
clear mucous.
A spell of hot weather, a holiday in a
hot climate, strenuous exercise can all
lead to dehydration. If this should
happen, fluid intake MUST be
increased. Isotonic sports drinks are
very good as they replace the
essential salts and glucose lost through
sweating. You can make your own and
it can be kept in the fridge for a day.
Fats
These are essential for the health of
cells, to protect vital organs and to
regulate body temperature. Too much
fat however can be harmful and you
should aim to keep fat intake to
below one third of your daily food
consumption.
Proteins
Proteins are another essential element
in a healthy diet and help to build body
tissue and muscle. They can be found in
meats, dairy products, eggs and fish.
Carbohydrates
This is the food group that provides
energy. Carbohydrates are found in
starchy foods like bread, potatoes,
pasta and cereals. Short term energy
comes from sugars contained
in sweet foods like fruits,
cakes and biscuits.
Alcohol
This is better in moderation
as it increases dehydration and
fluid loss, especially in hot weather.
Here is the recipe:
3/4 pint water
4 heaped teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5oz fruit juice (to taste)
!
Specific advice for your condition
While your stoma care nurse can
give advice specific to your condition,
over the years it has been observed
that certain foods have some
common effects.
These will be different for each person
depending on your stoma.
Colostomy
• Causes of wind (flatus):
– Green leafy vegetables e.g.
cabbage, brussel sprouts and
cauliflower
– Green beans and peas
– Onions
– Nuts
– Fruit
– Beer and carbonated drinks
• Causes of odour:
– Onions and garlic
– Green leafy vegetables e.g. cabbage
– Eggs
– Baked beans
– Asparagus
• To reduce odour, try:
– Natural yoghurt
– Parsley
Cranberry juice may
affect the efficacy of
Warfarin, a blood thinning
agent. Please consult your
specialist nurse if you are
taking this medicine before
making any changes.
• Causes of diarrhoea:
– Raw fruit and fruit juices
– Green leafy vegetables
– Hot and spicy food
– Beer and alcohol
• To reduce liquidity of stools, try:
– Ripe bananas
– Boiled rice and tapioca
– Peanut butter
– Instant mashed potato
Ileostomy
• Causes of wind (flatus):
– Green leafy vegetables e.g.
cabbage, brussel sprouts and
cauliflower
– Baked beans
– Onions
– Milk and milk products
– Carbonated drinks
• Foods which may cause blockages:
– Popcorn
– Nuts
– Sweetcorn
– Celery
– Coconut
– Dried fruit
• Causes of odour:
– Onions and garlic
– Green leafy vegetables e.g.
cabbage
– Eggs
– Baked beans
– Asparagus
• To reduce odour, try:
– Natural yoghurt
– Parsley
• Causes of liquid stools:
– Fruit and fruit juices
– Green leafy vegetables
– Fats
– Fish
• To reduce liquidity of stools, try:
– Ripe bananas
– Boiled rice and tapioca
– Smooth peanut butter
– Instant mashed potato
– Pasta and cheese
– Jelly babies and marshmallows
Urostomy
For most people a urostomy has little
effect on the diet.
Tips include:
• Drinking plenty of water each day
is the best way to prevent urine
infections
• Eat a balanced diet
• Eating beetroot will turn your
urine a reddish colour temporarily
but there is no cause for alarm
• Asparagus and seafood may
cause odour
Alleviating constipation and blockages
Constipation is an issue that you may
suffer from time to time. It can be
eased by drinking more liquids,
especially coffee and fruit juices.
As well as drinking more, try
increasing the levels of fibre in your
diet. This can be done very easily by
eating whole grain cereals, wholemeal
bread and pasta, and particularly by
eating more fresh fruit.
Too many eggs, boiled rice or corn
in your diet may be a cause of your
constipation.
For an ileostomist, constipation is not
really a problem however you have to
eat carefully to avoid blockages.
Chewing food well will always help but
you should also avoid, or at least be
very careful, when eating food that is
small and difficult to digest such as nuts
and sweetcorn.
Red staining in the stool
When you have had bowel problems,
the last thing you will want to see is
red staining in your stool. More often
than not, there is no need to worry as
it will be due to something you have
eaten causing the strong red colour.
The sort of foods that can cause this to
happen are beetroot, red wine and even
tomato skins that have not digested
completely. If you have any doubts on
this consult your specialist nurse.
High fibre diets
Dietary fibre is the indigestible part of
cereals, vegetables and fruit. Many
foods have part or all of the fibre
removed during processing and are
very ‘refined’ – white flour is a good
example.
Fibre is very important as it assists the
passage of food and fluids through the
digestive tract. It helps prevent many
bowel problems including constipation.
For fibre to be effective, you must also
drink plenty of fluids.
Unprocessed bran or porridge can be
used to increase fibre levels and can be
added to many meals.
Other ways to increase fibre in your
diet are:
• Have wholemeal or granary rather
than white bread
• Eat bran or wholegrain cereals
rather than sugar coated cereals
• Use wholemeal flour rather than
white flour in baking
• Have 5 servings a day of fruit or
vegetables, cooked, raw or dried;
eat the skins of baked potatoes and
try some raisins, figs or prunes
• Use nuts in salads or cooking
whenever possible
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